


Fireworks and Darkness

by otaku_potterhead



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Puns, Because it's an awful title, F/F, F/M, Humor, I'm probably changing the title later, If I don't cringe to death while writing them, Lots of bad puns, M/M, Team CRDL have evolved into the mafia, Yang's also a motorbike daredevil, because why not
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-03-24 18:33:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13817022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/otaku_potterhead/pseuds/otaku_potterhead
Summary: This is an age where hunters and huntresses obey the strict ethos of Remnant's International Hunter Organisation. Where they are placed in classes amongst ranks and given specific tasks to complete. Failure is never an option.Yang Xiao Long, a fledging huntress rising in the ranks, is tasked with finding a reclusive ex-huntress living in the quiet mountains of Vale. The task seemed simple, but little did she know that the young woman she found would turn her whole life upside down.





	1. Chapter 1

"Our final act involves one young woman, one roaring motorbike and _five_ whole rings of fire; ladies and gentlemen, start your engines and get ready for the star of tonight's show, the blazing, the amazing and the tantalising Firecracker!" 

The voice boomed through the stadium; it was the same generic spiel that got announced before every show. The daredevil had mounted her motorbike - a custom made, aerodynamic monster of a vehicle with the sleekest engine imported straight from the tech-paradise, Atlas. 

With a flick of the gauntlet-clad wrist, the bike revved to life with a sound like a rabid canine's snarl. It soon burst forwards towards the opening, leaving only a thin trail of smoke behind. The crowd erupted into ear-splitting cheers.

* * *

_"You didn't get hurt, did you, sis? Did everything go okay? We would've watched the show, but our scrolls lost connection up the mountains! We've set up camp now, but I still don't think the connection's that good."_ came the panicked voice of Ruby through the scroll. 

"I'm fine, Rubes. The stunt was pretty much perfect. What about you two? How's the mission?"

_"We've gotten rid of the main group of Beowolves, and we're planning to go down to the local village tomorrow to see if they need any help."_

"That's good to hear. Think you'll be back before I leave for mine?"

_"I hope so, Weiss says the earliest airship to Vale leaves tomorrow night. What's the mission, anyways?"_

"Don't know yet. I'm waiting for Old man Oz to give me the task. He mentioned searching for someone." she stretched, sitting backwards on the cold chair of the Vale Headquarter's lobby. "Sounds fairly easy."

_"A search mission? They rarely give those out!"_

"Well, it's better than being knee-deep in a swamp in the middle of nowhere, searching for some gross Grimm that no one's heard of." replied Yang, grimacing at the memory. The swampwater was a nightmare to wash out.

She heard a weak chuckle from the scroll, followed by a distant muffle of Weiss' voice, probably complaining about something.

_"I've got to get going, sis. Weiss has no idea how to set up a tent."_

Yang gave a laugh. "I'm not surprised. Tell her that I send my good luck to both of you."

_"Thanks, Yang! Good luck with the mission!"_

"Oh, and one final thing,"

_"Hm?"_

"Have you confessed to Weiss yet?"

A string of spluttering sounds were emitted. The blonde huntress gave a smirk.

_"Yang!"_

"You promised."

_"That's only because you bribed me with a jar of cookies."_

"But you still promised."

_"Fine, I'll try."_

"That's my sis, go win Ice Queen's heart! Don't worry, I'll personally kick her ass if she rejects you."

_"Please don't."_

More muffled complaints, along with what sounded like something snapping.

_"Weiss just broke the tent poles, so on second thoughts..."_

The huntress gave another hearty laugh. "Well, I won't distract you for any longer. See ya, sis. Love you."

_"Love you too, Yang! Bye!"_

A clicking sound signalled the end of the call. With a content sigh at knowing of her sister's wellbeing, Yang pocketed her scroll and looked around the lobby, seeing the usual hustle of hunters and huntresses milling about.

Anyone knew that this was a dangerous profession; some sported cyberkinetic limbs, some had large scars across their faces and some had bandages wrapped across their afflictions. Nevertheless, most were donned in their elaborate armour and with their complicated weapons sheathed, were ready for their next mission.

A large display board stood a distance away from Yang's seat, flashing the classes and ranks of each hunter and huntress in the organisation. These such boards were placed all over the place, constantly reminding them of their status. Small screens at the sides showed recent missions, prompting Yang to look for a specific one.

_MISSION: BEOWOLF CONTROL_

_LOCATION: VACUO_

_MEMBERS:_

_RUBY ROSE_  
_CLASS B_  
_RANK 36_

_WEISS SCHNEE_  
_CLASS B_  
_RANK 37_

_STATUS: ONGOING_

There was also another screen with some familiar names.

_MISSION: SEARCH AND RESCUE_

_LOCATION: MISTRAL_

_MEMBERS:_

_JAUNE ARC_  
_CLASS D_  
_RANK 15_

_NORA VALKRYIE_  
_CLASS B_  
_RANK 42_

_PYRRHA NIKOS_  
_CLASS A_  
_RANK 30_

_LIE REN_  
_CLASS B_  
_RANK 41_

_STATUS: ONGOING_

"Yang Xiao Long." came a curt voice, jerking Yang out of her thoughts. She saw Ozpin's secretary, Glynda, glaring at her with her piercing eyes. "Please report to Professor Ozpin's office for your mission."

The young woman gave a casual nod, standing up and following the elder across the lobby and down a winding corridor towards a large elevator. The pair stepped in and, after a moment of awkward silence, soon arrived at Ozpin's grand office.

Ozpin was sat behind a wide, intricately decorated desk with his clean-shaven chin resting upon folded hands. A thin envelope was placed by his elbow, which he reached for when the young huntress approached the table.

"Miss Xiao Long, please take a seat." he said calmly. When she was seated, he continued. "I must congratulate you on your successful performance last night."

She grinned in response. "Just doing my job."

"Well then, I hope you will do as equally well with this job's new solo mission." he pushed the envelope forwards to Yang, who opened it and reached for the document inside. "You must find a former huntress and bring her back to the headquarter."

Yang peered at the paper; it was a typed-out profile of the ex-huntress, along with a grainy photo of her attached to the top with a paperclip. She was slender, with shining black hair running down her back and a weapon attached to her arms with what looked like ribbon.

"Blake Belladonna." Yang read out. "Interesting name."

"She was part of our organisation around two years ago, and mainly helped in sabotaging any malicious plans the White Fang conjured up. Miss Belladonna was previously a member of the White Fang, you see."

"I'm guessing she left because of them, right?"

"Correct. Not long before her resignation, Miss Belladonna was promoted to a Class A huntress. She was one of the youngest to do so, at twenty years old. She became involved in more and more missions to disrupt the White Fang's plans, so they began their retaliation. Not against her as such, but against her family. She eventually resigned to protect them from more harm."

Yang thought for a moment. "Belladonna... isn't that the family name of the White Fang leader before Sienna Khan took over?"

Ozpin gave a nod. "Ghira Belladonna. A talented leader and Blake's father. That's why the White Fang tried to take their revenge on the family, especially one of the White Fang's high-ranking officials, Adam Taurus."

"Why him?"

"Miss Belladonna never informed us why Taurus seemed so adamant in his actions, so I can only assume that they knew of each other in the past. She tended to keep to herself, even when she was part of the organisation. She insisted on taking every mission solo."

"But, why do you need her? If she's resigned, then that means she's cut all ties with the organisation."

"There are still some inevitable issues concerning the White Fang." he delicately stopped without elaborating.

"... Right." Yang looked at the profile again. "Living in a small village on the outskirts of Vale?"

"That's from the last known report of her. We also know that she often makes visits to Menagerie - her father is now the chieftain there." Ozpin sat back on his chair. "Do you think you'll finish the mission by the end of the month?"

"Of course." Yang replied, slipping the paper back into the envelope. "Find her and take her back here. Simple."

"Should we start this mission tomorrow, then?"

The huntress gave another confident grin, crossing her arms. "I think I'll start tonight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over two years of my Computer Science course and I still don't know how to accurately use AO3's HTML mode. Rest assured, I am gonna fail my exams.
> 
> Anyway, don't forget to leave constructive criticism! It's always a great help!


	2. Chapter 2

"Yang!" came a familiar voice. The huntress looked across the docks and saw her sister running towards her, closely followed by a flustered Weiss. Both had already-disappearing scratches and bruises from the mission, but didn't look like they had any major injuries, to Yang's relief.

She swept the two into a bone-crushing hug. "I've missed you guys."

"I've missed you too!" squeaked Ruby, fearing for her lung capacity. Yang released the pair and gave Weiss an amused look, for the blue-eyed huntress had a face as red as her sister's cloak.

"What's with the face?"

"Oh, I don't know Yang, it's not like your dolt of a sister randomly decided to confess her love for me in the middle of a crowded airship."

"Good on you, sis!" Yang gave Weiss a menacing glare, half serious, half playful. "You did say 'yes', didn't you?"

Weiss turned even redder, if that was even possible. "Well I-"

"She did, Yang! It's fine." Ruby hastily replied, smiling at Weiss, who gave an exasperated yet fond sigh in response.

"Of all the places you could confess, it had to be on an airship straight after a mission." Weiss said, running her hand through her tresses and pulling out a stray leaf. "Anyway, we can talk later, I am in dire need of a bath."

A short walk through downtown Vale brought the trio to the apartment which Ruby and Yang shared. The sisters managed to convince Weiss to hang around so they could have a conversation before Yang left for her mission.

"Belladonna?" repeated Weiss as they arrived at the apartment block. "Isn't that-"

"The name of the previous White Fang leader, yup." said Yang, punching the password into the keypad and opening the door. "I'm finding his daughter."

"Sounds like an important person to find." commented Ruby as they stepped into the apartment elevator. "Couldn't you have left tomorrow?"

"Yeah, well, it shouldn't be that bad of a task; don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

"Don't get too confident, nothing's going to go exactly as you plan."

"Ah, Weiss, being the voice of doom as always." said Yang as they exited the elevator.

"I'm simply stating the truth." Weiss retorted while Yang unlocked the apartment door and they stepped inside. Their apartment was nothing lavish, despite the rather generous wages that hunters and huntresses were given. The sisters just wanted a small, comfortable place to call home. "And that doesn't just apply to you, it applies to everyone. Especially us hunters and huntresses, we have to stay extra vigilant."

"Thanks for the pep talk, Ice Queen." responded Yang sarcastically. "Anymore of that and you're not getting any pizza."

"Pizza?" piped up Ruby, her face lit up with excitement. "You got pizza?'

"Of course!" Yang walked over to the dining table and whisked the cover off, revealing two pizza boxes. "They got delivered right before I left, so they're still warm."

"You're the best sister ever!" proclaimed Ruby, wrapping her arms around Yang's midriff in a tight hug. 

"Just a little celebration for your new relationship with Weiss." chuckled Yang, ruffling her sister's hair. The white-haired huntress made a peculiar noise, turning red again. "Weiss, I didn't know you were such a useless lesbian."

"Aw, stop teasing her, Yang!" smiled Ruby, sitting down at the table with an eager expression. Weiss muttered something in agreement before sitting down next to Ruby.

"Tuck in, then," Yang said, joining them and opening the boxes. "I bet you loved those rations during the mission."

The younger huntress gave an exaggerated shudder and reached for a slice of pizza. "They always taste terrible."

Weiss looked at the food, then at Ruby, holding the pizza slice. "I'll go get a knife and fork." she announced, causing Yang to almost choke on the pizza.

"Who eats pizza with a knife and fork?!" questioned Ruby, hastily patting her sister on the back.

"Civilised people."

"Ouch."

The blonde soon recovered from her coughing fit. "Wow, you can be hilarious sometimes; just use your hands, you won't die."

"Hmm." she murmured, taking a tissue out of its box and using it to pick the pizza up. 

Ruby shrugged. "Close enough."

"So where does this ex-huntress live?" asked Weiss, diverting the topic.

"In this tiny village on the other side of Vale. I think it'll take a couple of hours to drive there, though I wouldn't be surprised if the place has no roads." Yang replied.

"You're not going by your motorbike, right?" questioned Ruby.

"Of course not, I'm not risking another tyre puncture on Bumblebee."

"I think the more obvious reason is that I don't think the Belladonna girl would appreciate being driven across Vale on that death machine." said Weiss snidely.

"Actually, it's built to minimise turbulance with the new Atlas E-395 engine and it's got gyro-stabilisation, so it's very safe." said Ruby.

"Yeah Weiss, don't go scorning your own Kingdom's engineering." Yang chided. Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Trust you to be an mechanics nerd, Ruby." she sighed. The younger huntress simply gave a smile at her new girlfriend.

"Well, it's better than being a cryokinetic Ice Queen." the blonde said.

"For your information, I've recently applied to take the exam for the sixth tier of cryokinesis, so don't underestimate me."

"Yeah, saying that to a pyrokinetic is _really_ menacing."

"Shut it."

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Before long, Ruby and Weiss were standing outside the apartment block, watching Yang fill the car boot with various equipment for the mission. It was a sturdy vehicle rented out by the organisation, with Vale's symbol imprinted on the doors.

"Take care, Yang!" exclaimed Ruby as Yang closed the boot.

"I will, don't worry. And I'll call whenever I can." said her sister, opening the driver door. "By the way, if Junior comes knocking on the door asking when I can take the next daredevil show, I give you permission to slam the door in his face."

"Uh, I'll just tell him you're on a mission."

"Fair enough."

Weiss gave a huff. "I still don't understand why you decided to take a part-time job as a motorcycle daredevil, of all things."

"I'm just enjoying the zest of life, Ice Queen." replied Yang merrily, giving both huntresses a quick hug before getting into the car. "Don't get up to anything too frisky while I'm gone!"

"Yang!" they both exclaimed simultaneously, their faces alight with blushes.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Yang laughed, starting the engine. "See you soon, then!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in China at the moment, and I'll be heading back home in a couple of days, so expect slow updates, my apologies.


	3. Chapter 3

The cosmopolitan city soon gave way to motorways amongst rolling green hills as Yang drove across the Kingdom. It was the afternoon, and the sun hung overhead, its comfortable rays warming the car as Yang put on a pair of shining aviator sunglasses.

In the passenger seat lay the envelope, its cover imprinted with the word _'CLASSIFIED'_ in scarlet ink. Every now and then, Yang would briefly take her eyes off the road to look at the envelope before returning her attention back to driving.

Her hand moved towards the car radio, switching it on and tuning it to the news station.

_"Reports have been made in the western region of Atlas regarding what has been concluded as White Fang activity at a dust refining factory. The suspects damaged two million lien worth of machinery in the early hours of today and attacked all guards who stood on duty in the premises. We have yet to contact them for further information."_

Unfortunately, this sort of news was never a surprise; the White Fang were numerous with their attacks. Yang wondered if it was another one of Weiss' family's factories. It seemed highly likely. Before long, the radio crackled with further news.

_"This is Lisa Lavender reporting from the scene of the crime. I am with one of the guards, who only sustained minor injuries from the situation. Tell me, what happened?"_

_"Well, I was standin' at the East Wing o' the block, an' I was just about to change shifts for t'night, when I 'eard this massive 'bang' from inside the place. When we got there, we spotted a couple o' those menaces climbin' all over the machines with crobars an' axes an' guns an' all sorts. Then they saw us an' just started attackin' without hesistation."_

_"Did you spot any White Fang members who you may have previously known about?"_

_"I didn't see any o' them high rankin' officials, but one o' them looked kinda like the ringleader o' the group with this fancy whip thing. She kept on changing colour - pretty sure she must've been a cameleon faunus or sommat like that."_

Yang still didn't fully understand why the organisation would be so willing to find that ex-huntress. It was downright puzzling, they had many faunus (and human) hunters and huntresses who were willing to help them resist the White Fang.

Then again, they probably didn't have much who were in a position as suitable as Blake's.

But still, she did resign, and for a selfless reason. It wasn't a stretch to assume that Blake wouldn't want to be a huntress again.

This dilemma remained in Yang's thoughts, even when she parked the car at a petrol station to refill it.

Overhead, the sun was now setting beneath the strip of horizon, bathing the area in an orange light. Yang pulled out a map and studied the route which she'd drawn from downtown Vale to the village where Blake lived. If everything went as planned, she'd arrive near the destination early tomorrow morning, followed by a hike across some mountains and a large river. She held her hand to her chin, working out the shortest and safest path to the village, the sunset light making her mane of hair as vibrant as a newly-lit flame.

When she had folded up the map, she refilled the car and went in to pay for the petrol, along with some food for the journey.

The cashier looked at Yang's outfit, then at the car parked outside, and snorted. "A huntress, huh? Out on a death wish, are you?"

She was used to comments like this, all of Remnant knew of this treachous job, and not all were supportive of their decisions.

"Yeah, I'm really hoping to get my head bitten off by an Ursula." she replied sarcastically. The cashier snorted again, taking the lien.

"You're just all idiots, in my opinion."

"Cool,' she said casually, checking her nails. "just so you know, I am trained in fire manipulation, and this is a petrol station."

With a distasteful glare, the cashier slammed the change and receipt on the counter. "Take your god damn stuff and get outta here."

Before long, the car was back on the road below the dulling sky, its engine humming along. The radio had changed from the news to music, playing softly below the sound of the engine's workings. Yang's arm was resting on the edge of the open car window, as if she was simply driving off for a holiday.

Slowly but surely, the cars that she saw on the roads began to reduce in numbers. Towns shrunk into villages which shrunk into hamlets which shrunk into endless forests and lush fields. This destination truly was in the middle of nowhere; Yang wondered if the place could even receive signal from the CCT towers.

Her scroll lit up with an automated message from the Hunter Organisation.

_GRIMM ACTIVITY ALERT_  
_GRIMM DETECTED WITHIN DESTINATION PERIMETER_  
_EXERCISE CAUTION_

With an irritated sigh, the huntress pressed down her foot on the acceleration pedal and increased the car's speed. Grimm activity within such a remote area was expected. The sky was now an inky blue, and the Grimm became only even more active during the night.

As the car travelled along, the headlights drew out a small radius of vision in the darkness. Yang hoped that Ruby had gone to sleep at this point. Her sister always had a tendency to stay up for hours on end, studying weapon mechanics and drawing elaborately annotated diagrams and blueprints. Her desk was always covered with them, along with coffee-stained mugs and the latest weapon analysis magazines.

Minutes rolled past like hours. Yang remembered that there was a small town marked on the map, a few kilometres away. It was a surprise; she didn't expect a town this secluded. She wondered if it would do any good to stop by and warn them of the Grimm activity, though lonely areas like this were usually well prepared. It was a upside of living in the middle of nowhere; you were always alert. Growing up on the tiny island of Patch meant that the Xiao-Long Rose family, and the surrounding community, were always taking precautions regarding the Grimm. A patrol was set up so that the streets were constantly guarded, and everyone attended weekly Grimm defence sessions set up by the local council, whether they wanted to or not. In the big cities, Grimm awareness was not such a priority, which led to chaotic situations when an attack came around.

Her thoughts evaporated when the car drove along a winding road through the middle of the town. Buildings had their roofs ripped clean off, the rubble scattered across the pavements. Claw marks peppered the walls, which were splattered with unsightly dark splotches. A food store stood empty, a pile of old canned foods rioting out of the jagged windows and onto the road, which the car neatly avoided. From the patches of vegetation growing out of the cracks in the destroyed buildings, it was clear that this attack had happened a while ago, and all the inhabitants of this unfortunate town were gone for good.

It was a depressing sight. Situations like this were not unheard of; many hunters and huntresses were sent out for search and rescue missions in places like this. Obviously, this ghost town had no one to search for or rescue. These places were slow to demolish - the Hunter's Organisation definitely didn't concern themselves with this work, and ghost towns were often avoided in the first place, because they'd usually attract more Grimm.

Yang continued driving, and soon the winding road led her out of the town and back onto the route towards the destination.

* * *

Downtown Vale at night was still alive with vibrant lights that jumped in multicoloured arrays, no matter where one looked. Such nights were quite a spectacular view for those in Vale's high-rise apartments, staring out towards the assortment of towering buildings and the dark mountains of the kingdom sitting in the distance.

The young huntress sat cross-legged on the cold floor, her silver eyes fixated on those mountains as she repeatedly ran her fingers against the soft material of her shirt hem, a habit for when she was worried. Her other hand was clutching at her inactive scroll, and occasionally she would lift her free hand and run it through her hair, tousling it.

"Ruby?" came Weiss' voice, breaking the silence within the room. "What's wrong?"

With Yang on a mission, Ruby found herself alone in their apartment, so she decided to stay at Weiss' abode instead. It wasn't unusual; the pair were firm friends, though now they were more than that.

"It's nothing." she replied quietly. "I just couldn't get to sleep." Ruby heard a rustle of clothes, and Weiss gingerly sat down next to her, close enough that their bare arms were touching. The blue-eyed huntress spotted the scroll, and figured out Ruby's worries.

"You're worried about Yang, aren't you?" she asked, only receiving a small hum in response.

"What you said before she left," Ruby said, tipping the scroll back and forth between her hands, "did you mean it?"

"Well, it is true. I'll admit, I am surprised that Yang's been given this mission. Not that I doubt her abilities - of course not. It just seems like such a.... unique mission."

The younger huntress gave a nod in agreement. "And an important one. I just hope Yang doesn't land in trouble with the White Fang or something."

"Come on, we both know that she can deal with anything. Yang's one of the strongest people I know - and not just physically. Even if she did get into trouble, she wouldn't have a problem getting out of it."

Ruby properly looked up from the scroll and at Weiss, a slight smile on her face. "I guess." her hand found Weiss' and gently held it, causing the latter's face to blush, though she returned the smile.


End file.
